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No Correlation Between Firearms per Capita and Homicide Rates
AmmoLand ^ | October 31, 2024 | Dean Weingarten

Posted on 11/02/2024 6:18:24 AM PDT by marktwain

A linchpin of the argument of those who favor a disarmed population is the assumption that “More Guns = More Crime.” It was succinctly stated as an assumption in a recent paper. Psychopathy, Gun Carrying, and Firearm Violence:

Carrying guns increases the risk of injury and death…

This is a hotly disputed assumption. Several papers dispute the premise. If carrying guns does not increase the risk of injury and death, the pragmatic argument for strict restrictions on gun ownership and use collapses. There is some evidence that if guns are restricted in a draconian manner, homicides with guns may be reduced. However, the total number of homicides is not reduced by gun control.

If the substitution of other methods results in the same or more homicides, or if firearms are used to prevent homicides as well as facilitate them, the argument for restricting gun ownership is not viable.

Long-term data to test the premise is available. There is FBI data on homicide rates in the United States going back to 1910. Homicides are the most reliable crime figure because there is a body and an investigation. There is fairly good data on the number of firearms that are privately owned in the United States. If more guns equals more crime, an increase in per capita firearms ownership should be correlated with the homicide rate.

The number of cartridge firearms in the USA has not been calculated for dates before 1945. This was before records were commonly available. Serial numbers on firearms were generally not required before 1968. Firearms first sold to the military, then later sold as surplus, are not included in these numbers, nor are firearms made for personal use. Semi-automatic, bolt action, and single-shot rifles, revolvers, and semi-automatic pistols sold as military surplus could number

(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...


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KEYWORDS: banglist; correlation; firearms; homicide
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There is no correlation between the number of firearms per capita in the United States and the homicide rate.
1 posted on 11/02/2024 6:18:24 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

The per capita number of firearms goes up and up. The homicide rate goes up and down, up and down.

As many as 19 million firearms sold to the military (single shot, bolt action, semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and revolvers) could have been sold as surplus in the USA, and are not accounted for in the graph.

2 posted on 11/02/2024 6:21:09 AM PDT by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

Correlation or law of obviosity? i.e., can’t have a firearm injury or death if there is no firearm.

Sort of like saying having a vehicle increases your odds of having a traffic accident.

A non-statistic.


3 posted on 11/02/2024 6:21:38 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: fruser1

How so? We are talking about total homicides, not just homicides committed with firearms.


4 posted on 11/02/2024 6:22:45 AM PDT by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: fruser1
Correlation or law of obviosity? i.e., can’t have a firearm injury or death if there is no firearm.

You may have read a little too fast. The article says there is no correlation.

5 posted on 11/02/2024 6:24:03 AM PDT by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

The positive correlation is a racial/demographic one.


6 posted on 11/02/2024 6:26:03 AM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: marktwain

I bet there is a correlation Between Firearms per Capita and robbery rates. More guns, less robbery.


7 posted on 11/02/2024 6:28:36 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (My decisions about people are based almost entirely on skin color. I learned this from Democrats.)
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To: marktwain

Some populations are more prone to violence than others.


8 posted on 11/02/2024 6:29:45 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: marktwain

Bookmark.


9 posted on 11/02/2024 6:42:50 AM PDT by grobdriver (The CDC can KMA!)
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To: marktwain

But I’ll bet there is a correlation between more guns and les crimes, and between demographics and crime/gun use in crimes- but msm would never print those facts.


10 posted on 11/02/2024 7:02:56 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: marktwain

Based on the years and what was happening at the time it seems that the federal government causes the homicide rate to go up.


11 posted on 11/02/2024 7:05:43 AM PDT by gnarledmaw (Hivemind liberals worship leaders, sovereign conservatives select servants.)
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To: marktwain

Ah, ok, thought they were referring to firearm only.


12 posted on 11/02/2024 7:08:12 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: marktwain

The #1 leading cause of violent crime is violent criminals.


13 posted on 11/02/2024 7:12:16 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack
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To: ComputerGuy
Some populations are more prone to violence than others.

you are not allowed to point that out

14 posted on 11/02/2024 7:19:16 AM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: Joe 6-pack

“IF guns are outlawed for American citizens only two types of criminals will have guns...those who don’t respect the badge and those who wear one” L.Star


15 posted on 11/02/2024 7:20:13 AM PDT by Qwapisking ("IF the Second goes first the First ges secnd" L.Star)
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To: zeugma

I could always withdraw the comment, I suppose. Don’t hold your breath.


16 posted on 11/02/2024 7:31:09 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: fruser1
Ah, ok, thought they were referring to firearm only.

I see that quite a bit. It is a way of lying with statistics.

What is the point of reducing homicides with firearms, if overall homicides stay the same or increase?

17 posted on 11/02/2024 7:35:18 AM PDT by marktwain (The Republic is at risk. Resistance to the Democratic Party is Resistance to Tyranny. )
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To: marktwain

“What is the point of reducing homicides with firearms, if overall homicides stay the same or increase?”

1. Our ruling class thinks citizens with guns are icky?

2. It’s hard to have a credible revolt with clubs and knives?


18 posted on 11/02/2024 8:01:57 AM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: marktwain

That’s an excellent chart that would be even more illuminating were we to add a line showing Democratic governance: it’d track the murder rate.


19 posted on 11/02/2024 8:02:34 AM PDT by nicollo (Remember when we had to close tags?)
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To: marktwain

Ping


20 posted on 11/02/2024 8:07:20 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim (C )
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